A short break, then it’s back to work

The Table Rock event went a little better. I can’t say I’m happy. That won’t happen until I’m in the Top 12, or the winner’s circle. Being higher in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings won’t hurt my attitude, either.

Still, I can say that at least it wasn’t a complete disaster like the first two Elite Series events. I caught some fish every day and made the cut to fish on Saturday.

Hindsight is perfect. I wish I’d done some things differently. If I had, I’d have done a lot better. I suppose almost every other angler fishing the darn thing could say the same thing, couldn’t he? We’ll talk more about what I did, and what I could have done better in the future some other time after I’ve had time to sort out my thoughts. I usually do better when I’ve had enough time to think things through.

Congratulations to Mike McClelland on a job well done. He put together four strong days. That’s how you win at the Elite Series level.

By the end of the week, I’ll be home. As of right now, though, I’m still at Table Rock. Toyota is doing a media event, and I’m working it.

I love those things. They give us a great opportunity to interact with the men and women who cover professional bass fishing, and it’s a welcome opportunity to do some recreational fishing with recreational anglers — writers and photographers mostly with a few editors thrown in for good measure. That’s something I don’t get to do as often as I like. That’s one of the things about fishing at the professional level that I wish was different.

Beyond the fun part, it’s also a chance to show off new products and to show the fans why so many of us drive Toyota trucks. Let me assure you that we don’t do it by accident. We do it because we drive thousands and thousands of miles all over this country and we don’t want trouble. We need to get where we’re going in a reliable and safe manner.

It’s above my pay grade to be able to tell you everything that’s new and exciting about Toyota vehicles but I assure you that if you’re thinking about replacing or upgrading what you own now you owe it to yourself to check them out. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Besides all that, it’s important to remember that they support bass fishing, at all levels. It’s only right that we support them.

Once I get done here, I’ll head home for a couple of weeks of rest and relaxation with the family. After that, it’s back to work. I would encourage everyone reading this column to do the same thing. And don’t forget to spend some time fishing.

This is a great time of the year to be on the water. The fish are shallow and they’re biting. At the same time, it’s a little early for the recreational boats to be out so your favorite lake won’t be so crowded. Take advantage of all that.